Eyes Open - Photography for 12-16 yr olds

Take your imagination on a journey and experiment with a range of skills including digital photography, photograms, collage and animation.If you have an interest in photography and visual art and are interested in trying new things, then this course is for you. The emphasis is on having fun developing your own visual style and meeting other aspiring young artists.

Course Outline

Day 1: Eyes Open

In this introductory session, we will think about what makes a great photograph and why. Then we will work out what makes your photographs particular to YOU!

You will be introduced to a Digital SLR camera and we will explain the manual settings, fully exploring how to capture light and time in a single image and make the perfect exposure!

Using a series of famous photographs as our guide, we will visit locations near Stills to re-create these images and investigate the successful elements of the photograph’s composition.

You will then have the opportunity to make your own, entirely unique set of images.

Day 2: Back to the Future

Taking the photographic lessons we learned on Day 1, we will further investigate your particular uniqueness as an artist photographer!

Travel back in time before the invention of digital cameras and explore the magic of the darkroom.

Experiment with a camera-less technique called the Photogram which will allow us to make beautiful images using only paper, objects and our imaginations!

Day 3: Cut & Paste

Using some of your spare prints from Day 1 & 2, we will explore and create a series of photographic collages.

Using cut-out techniques, drawing, painting, embroidery and more, we will transform your previous images into new and exciting works of art.

Experiment with making joiners, (a photographic technique made famous by artist David Hockney), where one picture is assembled from several overlapping photographs.

Day 4: Move It!

In this session you will have the chance to experiment with making your photographs move!

We will look at previous examples of artists that have used stop-frame-animation or still images to make a narrative film.

Develop a short story, and then shoot and edit your mini film using Adobe Premiere.

You will also have the option of producing and recording a unique soundtrack.